You can argue Nature vs. Nurture until you're blue in the face, but I can tell you sometimes the answer is NONE OF THE ABOVE. Alexis was born a hopeless romantic, but she neither got that from me via genetics nor did I ever teach it to her.
If I watch Cinderella, I gag. Alexis swoons. LITERALLY. SWOONS.
I need a barf bag to watch Sleeping Beauty, especially the part where the prince kisses the narcoleptic chick. Alexis thinks it's sooooooo sweet.
Frankly, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs creeps me out. WHY IS HE KISSING A POSSIBLY DEAD WOMAN? Alexis gets all sorts of flustered and kerfluffled and says "Awwwww" when she watches it.
I generally think that princess movies reach the peak of stupid when the main characters suck face without even knowing each other, but I let Alexis watch them anyway. She loves the movies. She loves the romance. She loves the kisses.
::PUKE::
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There's one thing Alexis did get from me--a love of music. While her taste in music is . . . . suspect (that's the nicest word I can come up with for her love of Britney Spears), I've been known to hole up in my room with a soprano clarinet or alto saxophone for hours just as much as she's been known to hole up in her playroom with a microphone and piano.
And that's why I let her watch Glee. It might be her favorite show on TV these days. Mostly her love is limited to the musical numbers. She thinks the talking and plot lines are "boring," but the singing and dancing? Totally her kind of thing. She stares at the TV intently any time Glee is on, just waiting for them to cover one of her favorite songs.
Of course, watching Glee is a supervised activity. It's not exactly a show written for 5-year olds, so we cuddle up on the couch together to watch it, with me taking the opportunity to yell, "HEY, LOOK! IT'S A JONAS BROTHER IN OUR BACK YARD!" any time the content on the TV is something less than appropriate.
Which I found myself doing the first time two boys kissed.
Hypocrite, much? Yes, I was. For that brief moment.
But that part of me deep in my heart that truly, strongly believes that love should be equal opportunity started to grin from ear-to-ear because DUDE! Boys kissing! On my TV! We have a long way to go in the quest for equality, but that's a hell of a step in the right direction.
I see nothing wrong with my kid watching a prince kiss a possibly dead princess, and I see nothing wrong with her watching two boys kiss.
But if anybody starts rounding their way towards second base, I'm sure as hell going to find a Jonas brother to throw at Alexis.
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Representative Metcalfe has introduced a bill that would "protect marriage" in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In my opinion, "protect marriage" is fancy wording for "legalize discrimination." I believe that every person should be treated equally, no matter who they want to kiss. I have signed the Equality Pennsylvania petition, and I hope you'll take a moment to do the same.
Read more about Pittsburgh Blog for Equality Day here.